Why I Didn’t Quit Being a Software Engineer When I Became a Pastor

If you’re a follower of Jesus, you are called to full-time ministry. Contrary to popular thought, that probably doesn’t mean quitting your job and going on staff at a church. In fact, your job might be one of the greatest tools God has given you to grow his kingdom, that is, if you learn to integrate it into a holistic vision of missional living.

Ephesians 4:11–12 reminds us that the role of church leadership is to equip the saints for ministry and not to do all the ministry themselves. Every follower of Jesus, regardless of vocation, is called to ministry in all their life.

So, what do we do with our jobs? In recent decades, there’s been great progress in helping Christians integrate their faith into the workplace. That’s fantastic and needed! But often, the conversation stops there. What’s often missing is a broader question: How do we live missionally outside the 9–5?

What does it look like to be faithful to Jesus with all our time? And how can our professional work support that mission? Here’s my suggestion. 

View Work as a Platform, Not a Barrier

It’s healthy and good to be a positive witness for Christ at your job, but legal and ethical restraints limit what’s possible during work hours. Still, that doesn’t make your work meaningless. Just the opposite!

Beyond the basic value you add to others, your job provides a stable platform from which you can launch a life of mission. Even in a secular environment, work provides incredible value:

• It enables you to provide for your family.
• It gives you the means to be generous to your church and others.
• It allows you to solve meaningful problems in the world.
• It gives you the freedom to choose strategic locations or schedules to reach people who don’t yet know Jesus.

Personally, my background as a software engineer allowed me to build products used by millions. That skill has provided for our family and church community while also allowing me to work remotely with a flexible schedule. That flexibility created space to invest deeply in my neighborhood and church for the sake of the Gospel. Nearly 500 years ago, Martin Luther said it well when he said:

A cobbler, a smith, a farmer—each has the work and office of his trade, and yet they are all alike, consecrated priests and bishops, and everyone by means of his own work or office must benefit and serve every other.

In our community, we have about 100 bi-vocational missionaries in diverse careers who have chosen to live missionally. Their stories are powerful reminders that ordinary work can support extraordinary mission.

All My Time Is Jesus’ Time

Most jobs only occupy part of our week. The rest—our evenings, weekends, and flexible hours—hold enormous missional potential if we’re intentional.

While working full-time as a software engineer, I helped lead the planting of four churches in four cities over four years. That wasn’t a burden. It was a joy. My wife and I simply used the time we had to sow into people and places for the name of Jesus.

You can do the same, and my encouragement to you is not to overcomplicate it. Instead, live an integrated, simple life focused on making disciples who can, in turn, make disciples. That simplicity can be surprisingly effective. 

 Here are some examples of how those in my church enter into disciple-making:

• We host Bible studies in our home multiple times a week.
• We do street evangelism regularly.
• We share meals with friends, neighbors, and strangers.
• We play sports with those we’re discipling and reaching.

It’s not always easy because relationships and community take time and intentionality. But it is joyful, purposeful, and deeply rewarding.

Four Practical Ways to Maximize Your Mission

If you’re struggling to see how your job and your ministry connect, here are several practical steps I’d recommend:

Step 1: Be rooted in a church family. Commit to a local church. Plug in. Be involved. Love the people. You can’t do mission alone.

Step 2: Open your home. Hospitality is one of the most powerful and accessible ways to reach people and build community.

Step 3: Live simply. Strip away the clutter and distractions that crowd out your availability. Practice saying no to things that don’t serve the mission.

Step 4: Cut time-sinks. Start with your screen time—particularly social media and television. Redeem that time for mission.

You don’t need a full-time job in ministry to start living on a mission. You need a new mindset about your time, your work, and your purpose. Remember that all of your life belongs to Jesus—every hour, every relationship, every opportunity. So live like it!